Of accidental judgments and casual slaughters
by McMuffinDragon
Summary: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: the greatest story in English literary and dramatic history told by the countries of the world.


It was very early morning in a small town on the north east coast of Denmark very near Sweden. This was Helsingør, but for our story, we shall call in Elsinore. On a small peninsula jutting out into the Sound between the two nations lies the castle Kronborg. From this castle's high walls, one could have heard the waves on the Sound and see all the way to the shores of Sweden. The operative term here is _could _if frigid winter winds weren't howling across the water, and if it wasn't so dark that it felt like one was blindfolded.

Through the thick black, there was France, leaning heavily on a long partisan, clutching it in his raw red hands as he shivered. On his chest, he bore the crest of the Danish King. He'd been keeping the watch, not that he can _see_ anything at all. He stared out, not sure if he's looking at land or water, until something, the pole of another partisan, whacks him hard in the back, and he yelped in surprise.

The man on the other end in the dark shouted once he'd hit something: "Who's there?"

"Nay, answer me," The first man gripped his partisan, ready to stab into the shadows. He's thankful for the dark hiding his pale, frightened face. "Stand and unfold yourself."

"Long live the king," came a coded answer.

"Bernado?" The Frenchman asked, squinting into the dark.

"He." The Italian man replied as he comes slowly into view, shouldering his partisan.

"You come most carefully upon your hour." France sighed in relief, glad that he didn't need to actually fight any intruder.

"'Tis now struck twelve," The shorter informed him, "Get thee to bed, Francisco." For a split second he wanted to add 'you dirty pervert' afterwards, but thought better of it.

"For this relief much thanks," France said with a friendly smile, receiving only a dark scowl in return. His face dropped, "'Tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart."

"Have you had quiet guard?" Southern Italy asked in a slightly edged tone, glancing around and seeing nothing else to look at other than the Frenchman by his side.

"Not a mouse stirring," He replied.

"Well, good night." Southern Italy felt the other man leave his side and quickly called after him, frightened to be left alone in the dark, "I-If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus, the rivals of my watch, b-bid them make haste."

"I think I hear them." France hushed, straining to catch the sound of two sets of boots on the stone, "Stand, ho," He barked, "Who's there?"

"Friends to this ground," Lithuania's gentle voice floated over in the darkness.

"And liegemen to the Dane," Northern Italy's bubbly voice cut into the darkness.

"Give you good night." France muttered, taking tentative steps toward them so as not to crash into either.

"O, farewell, honest soldier," Northern Italy hummed, trying to give the older man a hug, but only succeeding in wrapping his arms around the air between them. After a couple more hugging failures, he said, "Who hath relieved you?"

"Bernardo has my place," France stated, jerking his head behind him, though neither other nation saw the gesture. "Give you good night." Northern Italy and Lithuania wait until they no longer hear France's boots before groping forward in the dark.

Northern Italy was the first to find his brother as he cheerfully cried, "Holla! Bernardo!" Lithuania heard a brief struggle a couple feet away with some muttering of 'Idiot!' and 'Jackass!' He stepped closer when he hears himself called for by Southern Italy.

"Say, what, is Horatio here?"

"A piece of him," The Baltic nation tried to make a joke to lighten the mood, but no one laughs, not even him.

"Welcome, Horatio." Southern Italy sighed, clapping the other nation on the shoulder, "Welcome, _good_ Marcellus," He muttered to his brother.

"What, has this thing appeared again to-night?" Northern Italy asked, looking around into the darkness with a nervous face.

"I have seen nothing." The elder brother replied, thankful for that fact.

"Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy and will not let belief take hold of him touching this dread sight, twice seen of us," the northern brother said as though darkness made people deaf when they were being talked about and not blind. "Therefore I have entreated him along with us to watch the minutes of this night; that if again this apparition come, he may approve our eyes and speak to it."

"Tush, tush," Lithuania cut in, rolling his eyes, and both Italys almost jumped off the castle wall, "'Twill not appear."

"Sit down awhile," Southern Italy challenged in a gruff tone, "And let us once again assail your ears that are so fortified against our story what we have two nights seen."

"Well, sit we down," Lithuania sighed, the cold of the stones quickly seeped into his backside, "And let us hear Bernardo speak of this."

"Last night of all," Southern Italy hissed, kneeling on the stone with his brother, "when yond same star that's westward from the pole," The Italian scanned the black sky and soon picked out one star, neither other nation could tell exactly which one he was pointing at, "had made his course to illume that part of heaven," He traced an invisible path in the air, "Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself, the bell then beating one,--"

"Peace, break thee off," The younger brother cried as he began shaking violently, "look where it comes again." Coming toward the three nations at a slow and steady speed came a very faintly glowing shape.

"In the same figure like the king that's dead," Southern Italy shook just as much as his brother. As the figure got closer, they could see it was a man, dressed to fit a king for battle, though there was no crown on his brow. His very faintly blonde hair moved slowly with an opposite wind that only seemed to affect him, and his face was stony and serious. All three nations scrambled to their feet; both Italys hid behind Lithuania.

"T-Thou art a scholar," Northern Italy cried, pushing Lithuania forward, "Speak to it, Horatio."

"Looks it not like the king?" The southern brother asked as he joined in pushing Lithuania on, "Mark it, Horatio."

"M-Most like," Lithuania gasped, feeling the blank eyes behind the man's glasses cutting through him. He wanted to run, but couldn't even look away. "It harrows me with fear and wonder." The ghost came to stand about ten meters away, casting a pale glow on the outer wall around him and the quivering young men before him.

"It would be spoke to," Southern Italy cried, ducking farther behind Lithuania's small body.

"Question it, Horatio," Northern Italy shoved his friend forward and huddled up against his brother.

Lithuania glanced over this shoulder before calling to the creature, man, whatever hovering before him, "What art thou that usurp'st this time of night, together with that fair and warlike form in which the majesty of buried Denmark did sometimes march?" He received no answer. Lithuania glanced back. Both Italys shrugged their shoulders before pulling out tiny white flags and waving them at the ghost. "By heaven," Lithuania stated, holding his ground and trying not to look scared, "I charge thee, speak!" The ghost frowned and turned his back, and the light he cast began to fade.

"It is offended," Northern Italy whispered, creeping forward to hide behind Lithuania again.

"S-See," The elder brother muttered, taking Lithuania's other side, "It stalks away."

"Stay!" Lithuania called to the growing darkness, "Speak, speak, I charge thee, speak!" They were alone again.

"'Tis gone," Northern Italy took the responsibility to state the obvious, "and will not answer."

"How now, Horatio!" The second Italy said, breathing heavily as though he'd run a long way, "You tremble and look pale." He caught himself sounding like he cared and immedeately rubbed the ghost's existence in Lithuania's face. "Is not this something more than fantasy? What think you on't?"

"Before my God," Lithuania gasped, shaking his head slowly, "I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes."

"Is it not like the king?" Northern Italy hissed, holding Lithuania's shoulder tightly.

"As thou art to thyself," The Baltic replied, "Such was the very armour he had on when he the ambitious Norway combated; so frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle, he smote the sledded Polacks on the ice." He just kept shaking his head more and more before muttering, "'Tis strange."

"Thus twice before," Northern Italy continued, nodding his head eagerly, "and jump at this dead hour, with martial stalk hath he gone by our watch."

"In what particular thought to work I know not," Lithuania muttered, "But in the gross and scope of my opinion, this bodes some strange eruption to our state."

"Good now," The subject of national peril, peaked Northern Italy's interest, "sit down, and tell me, he that knows, why this same strict and most observant watch so nightly toils the subject of the land, and why such daily cast of brazen cannon and foreign mart for implements of war? Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task does not divide the Sunday from the week? What might be toward, that this sweaty haste doth make the night joint-laborer with the day? Who is't that can inform me?"

"That can I;" Lithuania nodded, "At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king, whose image even but now appear'd to us, was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway, thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride, dared to the combat, in which our valiant Hamlet-- For so this side of our known world esteem'd him--did slay this Fortinbras; who by a seal'd compact, well ratified by law and heraldry, did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands which he stood seized of, to the conqueror: against the which, a moiety competent was gaged by our king; which had return'd to the inheritance of Fortinbras, had he been vanquisher; as, by the same covenant, and carriage of the article design'd."Lithuania paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "His fell to Hamlet. Now, sir, young Fortinbras, of unimproved mettle hot and full, hath in the skirts of Norway here and there shark'd up a list of lawless resolutes, for food and diet, to some enterprise that hath a stomach in't, which is no other--as it doth well appear unto our state--but to recover of us, by strong hand, and terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands so by his father lost. And this, I take it, is the main motive of our preparations, the source of this our watch and the chief head of this post-haste and romage in the land."

Both Italys stared back at him with confused faced before the Southern one spoke up and said, "What exactly is going on?"

"Okay," Lithuania sighed, "Our old king, okay?" They both nodded, "He won a bunch of lands from Fortinbras, the king of Norway, alright?" Another nod, "Now his son, who's also called Fortinbras, rounded up a bunch of thugs so he can win back the lands his father lost, get it?" A third, slower nod, "So that's why we're out here: looking out for Norwegian thugs."

Southern Italy kept nodding before saying, "I think it be no other but e'en so. Well may it sort that this portentous figure comes armed through our watch; so like the king that was and is the question of these wars."

"A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye." Lithuania nodded, "In the most high and palmy state of Rome, a little ere the mightiest Julius fell, the graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets. As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, disasters in the sun and the moist star upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse. And even the like precurse of fierce events, as harbingers preceding still the fates and prologue to the omen coming on, have heaven and earth together demonstrated unto our climatures and countrymen.--" A glow fell again on Lithuania's face, "But soft, behold! lo, where it comes again!"

The ghost stopped again before them; this time Lithuania stepped forward with a touch more courage, "I'll cross it though it blast me." He muttered more to himself before calling, "Stay, illusion! If thou hast any sound or use of voice, speak to me."

Off in the town, a rooster crew; none of the nations had noticed the sky growing lighter little by little.

"If thou art privy to thy country's fate, which, happily, foreknowing may avoid, O, speak!" No reaction, growing desperate, Lithuania shouted, "Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life extorted treasure in the womb of earth, for which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death, speak of it." Nothing; the ghost turned to leave once more "Stay and speak!" Lithuania turned to the useless Italys behind him, "Stop it, Marcellus."

Northern Italy fumbled around and scrambled to pick up his abandoned spear, "S-Shall I strike at it with my partisan?" He asked.

"Do, if it will not stand," Lithuania groaned.

"'Tis here!" Southern Italy called, looking over the side of the wall.

"'Tis here!" Lithuania cried, rushing forward.

"'Tis gone." Northern Italy said glumly, tossing his wapon to the ground, "We do it wrong, being so majestical, to offer it the show of violence. For it is, as the air, invulnerable, and our vain blows malicious mockery."

"It was about to speak when the cock crew," Southern Italy muttered, glaring out at the faint outline of the town, blaming it for driving the ghost away.

"And then it started like a guilty thing upon a fearful summons." Lithuania agreed, going to stand by Southern Italy and gaze at the town, "I have heard, the cock, that is the trumpet to the morn, doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat awake the god of day; and, at his warning, whether in sea or fire, in earth or air, the extravagant and erring spirit hies to his confine; and of the truth herein this present object made probation."

"It faded on the crowing of the cock." Northern Italy echoed his brother, watching the sunrise, "Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, the bird of dawning singeth all night long, and then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad. The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike, no fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm, so hallow'd and so gracious is the time."

"So have I heard and do in part believe it." Lithuania nodded "But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad, walks o'er the dew of yon high eastward hill. Break we our watch up; and by my advice, let us impart what we have seen to-night unto young Hamlet; for, upon my life, this spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him. Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it, as needful in our loves, fitting our duty?"

"Let's do't, I pray," Northern Italy cheered, picking up his and his brother's partisans, "and I this morning know where we shall find him most conveniently." With slow nods, the three nations quickly quit their post on the castle wall.


End file.
